Estimate Video Viewing Time and Video Count on a 2 GB Data Allowance

Estimate how many videos a person could watch with 2 GB of data. Explain how you get from a video's resolution to the amount of data it uses per minute, covering frame size, frame rate and compression, then show how the answer changes across a few common resolutions. End with a figure and a sense of how confident you are in it. ```hint Get to data per minute first Work out how many megabytes one minute of playback uses at a given quality before you think about how many videos fit; only then decide how long a typical video is. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What kind of videos: short clips under a minute, typical videos of around ten minutes, or full-length movies? - What device and quality: a phone on cellular data at the app's default quality, or a large screen at the highest quality available? - Does the 2 GB cover only the video itself, or also the app's other traffic such as thumbnails, ads and preloaded clips? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A scoped definition of a "video" (length, resolution, device) settled before any arithmetic - A chain from resolution to data rate that covers pixels per frame, bits per pixel, frame rate and the effect of compression, with bits and bytes kept straight - Labeled, round assumptions and correct arithmetic from total data to viewing minutes to a video count - How the count shifts across resolutions and video lengths, checked against a second reference point - A final figure with a range ### Follow-up Questions - Which assumption moves your answer the most, and how would you tighten it? - How would the answer change with a newer video codec or with playback at 60 frames per second? - If you were the product manager for a video app in a market where many people buy small data packs, what would you change based on this estimate?